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R E S O U R C E S |
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AURORA VIEWING & PHOTO HANDBOOK
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“Taking an aurora
photo is easy.
Taking a good aurora photo is hard!” |
Photographing the aurora is far from an exact science. The lights
can change dramatically in brightness and movement within seconds—or
they can hide entirely—and that makes it impossible to provide
anything but the most general guidelines.
During our trip I will present tips and advice that extend far
beyond these brief notes, and I'll help you get the best aurora
photos your equipment will allow. In the meantime, check out
these notes so you're prepared when the lights come out over
Fairbanks. |
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Camera
Body:
Almost any camera—either digital or
film—will work for photographing the aurora,
as long as you can adjust it manually to take
time exposures of 20 seconds or longer (an
all-automatic camera may not work well for
these photos, I’m afraid, but it’s certainly
worth trying).
For shooting film, an older mechanical
camera body—one that doesn’t use batteries
to open the shutter—will usually work best.
That doesn't mean that your automatic or
semi-automatic camera won't work. It's just
that long exposures tend to sap battery
strength, and you may find yourself changing
batteries more frequently than you'd
prefer. Always carry with you plenty of
spare batteries and a battery charger.
Digital cameras can do a great job if
you can set them for a fast ISO (200 or
400), and don’t need to take exposures
longer than about 30 seconds or so. And
don’t worry about using a light meter; it’ll
work only for your daytime photos!
[Dennis’ Recommendation: For film, a
mechanical, all-manual camera body is best;
many digital cameras also work well.]
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Lenses:
Nearly any kind of lens will work for aurora
photography but, since the aurora can cover
huge areas of the sky, a wide-angle lens
would be a much better choice. Most
important is that the lens be as ‘fast’ as
possible (i.e., have a small f/ratio like
f/2.8 or smaller). Zoom lenses also work,
but they’re not usually very ‘fast’.
Typically lenses don’t provide sharp images
when used ‘wide open’, so if your lens is
extremely fast, it’s always a good idea to
stop down by ½ or one stop. Unless we get a
tremendously brilliant aurora—very rare—you
won’t want to shoot with your lens set any
slower than f/2.8.
[Dennis’ Recommendation: Use as fast (f/2.8
or lower) and as wide-angle a lens as possible.] |
Tripod:
This
is not the time to use a flimsy tripod. It
should be strong enough to hold the camera
steady for long exposures—even in a strong
wind.
If you’ve got more than one camera but have
only one tripod, you’ll spend lots of time
removing your camera and replacing it, and
you’ll miss some great shots. Either take
along one tripod for every camera you’ve got
or extra “quick-release plates” attached to
each camera. Don’t overdo it; two should be
more than enough.
If you want to beef up a lighter tripod,
hang your camera bag from the tripod's
center post. And, if you want to be able to
handle your tripod in very cold weather,
pick up some foam packing material or
insulating fabric and cover the tripod legs
with it. Your hands—even buried in
gloves—will thank you!
[Dennis’ Recommendation: Always use a
sturdy tripod, and insulate the legs.] |
Cable
Release/Remote
Control:
This is also not the time to skimp on a
cable release or remote control. A quality
device—whether for film or digital
cameras—costs a bit more but will work much
more reliably than an inexpensive one. It
should be the kind that locks, keeping the
shutter open for long time exposures, and is
necessary to prevent shaking the camera in
any way. If you can, have at least one
spare since cable releases can break or
freeze up.
[Dennis’ Recommendation: Have at least
two quality locking cable releases or
electronic remote control devices.] |
Batteries:
Few things sap the strength of batteries
more than long exposures in cold weather.
Keep at least one or two sets of spare
batteries warm in an inside pocket; if you
see the power level of the batteries
dropping, replace them with fresh ones—before
they die. And make sure you have spare
batteries for everything you’ll be
using—camera, remote controls, digital
storage units, etc, and a charger. Cold
batteries will often regain their strength
after warming up again.
[Dennis’ Recommendation: Have
warm spare batteries (and a charger) for every
electronic device you have.] |
Film:
If
you’ll be shooting film, the key is to use
fast film. This is represented by a high
ISO number: ISO 200, 400 & 800 work great
for aurora photography. Various film types
respond differently to auroral light.
Which you use is a matter of
preference—you’ll get as many opinions as
there are aurora photographers.
Some use Kodak films; others prefer Fuji.
If you prefer shooting negatives (for
prints), you might try using Fuji Superia
800 XTRA. It’s very fast and captures the
aurora nicely, though the colors it records
are much more “electric” than we see. This
film is available in most good photo shops.
If you prefer shooting slides, you can try
Fuji Provia 400F. This professional film
can be found in most quality photo stores,
and is also available in a (less expensive)
"consumer" version. It provides more
natural colors than the print film and, of
course, can be turned into wonderful prints
as well. When shooting with film, this is
my choice. And, since I bracket a lot,
I plan on using 2 to 4 rolls per night; of
course, your numbers may vary.
[Dennis’
Recommendation: For first-time aurora
photographers, try Fuji Superia X-TRA 800 or
400 print film; for slides, try Fujichrome
Provia 400F Professional (RHPIII)] |
Digital
“Film”:
Just as with analog film, the key to aurora
photography is a fast ISO setting for your
electronic detector. ISO 200 to 400 both
work great for aurora shots but, the higher
the ISO number, the more likely there will
be “noise” in your images. Since the color
response of digital cameras to light can be
controlled, the white-balance should be set
to “daylight”, if possible, or altered to
produce the colors that are most pleasing to
you. The real advantage of digital imaging
is the immediate feedback.
[Dennis’ Recommendation: Start with ISO 200
and a white-balance set to “daylight”, and
make changes as you go.] |
Digital
Memory:
Before capturing digital images of the
aurora, it’s important to ask yourself what
your final product will be. If you plan to
use these for a website or e-mail, you need
only small, low resolution images. If you
wish to produce prints, larger files with
higher resolution will be necessary. Either
way, you’ll need a fairly high-capacity
memory card for the camera, and at least one
or two spares.
You can never have enough memory. To free
up your cards and to back up your work,
consider having a means for storing captured
images, such as a laptop computer or other
dedicated storage devices.
[Dennis’ Recommendation: Have at least one
spare memory card and a storage device to
which you can download your images.] |
What
about Video?
Despite how bright and dramatic the aurora
can appear to the eye, it’s nearly invisible
to even low-light or three-CCD video
cameras. High-end consumer video cameras
might see something, but will also display
quite a bit of noise. Remarkable aurora VHS
tapes and DVDs are available for purchase,
but these use supersensitive (read:
expensive) cameras!
One easy way of capturing time-lapse motion
pictures of aurora, however, is through
digital animation. By taking a series of
exposures with a digital camera fixed to a
tripod, one can use a variety of computer
software to assemble an “animated GIF”.
While image sequences can be captured by
hand—with a timer to assure equal intervals
between frames—it’s best to use an automatic
electronic intervelometer (available only
with some high-end digital cameras) to
assure precision. Even though it’s only
necessary that individual images be
relatively small and low-resolution, a large
capacity and fast memory card is extremely
important.
[Dennis’
Recommendation: If you have a video camera,
you can certainly try it. Or try your hand
at digital animation instead.] |
Exposures:
These depend on a number of factors: what
kind of lens you’ve got, how fast it is,
film speed, aurora brightness and motion.
There is no way to predict the appearance
and behavior of the aurora, so only general
guidelines are possible.
To assure that something comes out, be sure
to ‘bracket’ your exposures—some over and
some under what you ‘think’ is correct. For
example, you might try f/2 at 5s, 10s, 20s,
30s, or some other range that assures you’ll
get something. In other words, plan on four
to six exposures for every photograph you
want. Better to take too many than not
enough.
With digital cameras, this is easy to do and
you can delete bad images later. If you’re
shooting film, don’t worry about “wasting”
it; film is inexpensive compared to
returning home with no aurora photos!
The following table offers some very
rough estimates for starting points:
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f/ratio |
200 ISO |
400 ISO |
800 ISO |
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1.4 |
14 sec |
07 sec |
04 sec |
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2 |
28 sec |
14 sec |
07 sec |
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2.8 |
56 sec |
28 sec |
14 sec |
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[Dennis’ Recommendation: Bracket well, but
keep exposures as short as possible to
preserve auroral detail.] |
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Keeping
Records:
Many digital cameras record camera settings
along with the images but, if you’re
shooting with film, be sure to keep an
accurate log of all important settings for
each frame. That way, when your photos are
processed, you’ll know what produces the
best results for your next outing. This
will help considerably on your next night
out.
[Dennis’
Recommendation: Log details of all your
shots and study these after the shoot to
learn what works and what doesn’t in various
situations.] |
Processing
and Printing:
Have your film processed as soon as
possible, especially if you’re away from
home when you shoot the aurora. If you
choose to wait until you get home to process
your film, make sure you take your aurora
photos to a custom lab.
If you shoot prints, your processor may not
know how to print your photos. You can find
a magazine or book with some good aurora
photos and lend it to the processor as
samples. Or you can shoot a ‘normal’
daylight shot at the beginning or end of
each roll and tell the processor to use
those color settings for the aurora photos.
If you shoot slides, tell the processor to
leave them un-cut and un-mounted. You’ll
then be able to compare your images, the
frame numbers and your notes. You can then
select the best images, mount them yourself
with simple cardboard or plastic mounts, and
have them printed or scanned.
[Dennis’ Recommendation:
Always use a custom professional lab for
processing and printing your aurora photos;
in Fairbanks, you can take advantage of
Fairbanks Fast Foto’s long experience with
aurora photography.] |
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To enjoy the aurora, all you really need is
your eyes and plenty of warm clothing and
boots. If, however, you wish to
photograph the sky show consider taking
along the following items: |
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Film or digital camera(s) |
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Note pads (or logbook)
and pens |
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Fast normal & wide angle
lens(es) |
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Tools for minor repairs |
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Fast color film or memory
cards |
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Lens cleaning supplies |
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Good cable releases or
remotes |
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Flashlight covered with
red cellophane |
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Sturdy tripod(s) & quick
release plates |
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Spare batteries for
everything & charger |
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Equipment manual for
everything |
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Laptop or other digital
storage device |
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Timer |
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Knee pads for viewing
through low tripod |
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Chemical hand warmers |
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Gaffer's tape |
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EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT:
Learn to operate everything well in advance,
and be sure all works well. You may
even consider having your cameras
"winterized”. And be sure to take a
spare of everything that could possibly
fail. Remember: "Murphy” is an
aurora fan too! |
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And be sure to visit my
aurora gallery to see the types of photos that
are possible with only a simple camera and
tripod! |
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